PEOPLE in need in the Cotswolds are set to get a helping hand from those who can afford the luxury of a second home.

Under the proposals put forward money collected from council tax on second homes in the district would be used to cover the costs of a project by Home-Start based in Cirencester and the North Cotswolds.

Kim Hartshorne, chair of Home-Start Cotswold, explained why Home-Start was needed in the Cotswolds.

"There are lots of reasons, there are lots of families that for various reasons need support. Post-natal depression is on the increase and the health service has big pressure on its resources.

"Some of it is the way society has changed, people don't live near their parents anymore so they can't ask them for help."

Home-Start originally for £35,000 funding but this did not meet specific criteria and was later reduced to the current sum.

"We applied originally and they decided that with the second homes money they would use it very strictly for one-off projects," explained Kim.

"The council are funding all our one off costs like training the volunteers, things like desks, chairs, computers and that sort of thing so once we've bought it we don't have to again for about ten years.

She said the funding of £15,500 would be an important boost to the project and further funding would hopefully be gained through applications to the Big Lottery Fund and other sources.

Home-Start is a national charity which uses parent volunteers to give support to families facing poverty, rural isolation and other social issues.

Although the Cotswolds is traditionally seen as a affluent district a study by Home-Start revealed areas of Cirencester are among the most deprived in Gloucestershire.

Children living in these pockets of deprivation face a range of struggles but often do not fall into Social Services care requirements.

The aim of Home-Start is to support the families which do not qualify for help from other areas.

One of the areas highlighted as a pocket of deprivation is Chesterton, the area was found to have 'Red status', placing it in the top ten percent of wards in the county for female young offenders.

Deryck Nash is district councillor for the Chesterton ward, he said he was aware of the social problems in the area.

"Yes Chesterton has had a problem with young offenders of both sexes," he said, "and any measure that Home-Start can take to help the problem and prevent young people getting into trouble will be wholly welcomed."

The second phase of Home-Start will see the scheme rolled out to the North Cotswolds.

In this area the problem of rural isolation is recognised by the charity as being particularly acute. It also suffers from being what the Community Legal Services Partnership described as "an advice desert'.

The Home-Start scheme was welcomed by councillors at last week's cabinet meeting.

Councillors were very keen to support the bid for funding and recommended it to Gloucestershire County Council for approval.

A spokesperson for Cotswold District Council explained why the council was backing Home-Start.

She said: "CDC supports the set up of a Home-Start scheme in the Cotswolds. We know from research and statistics that, despite the district's high levels of affluence, there are families and parents who are facing tough times.

"The initial scheme will be in Cirencester where there is the greatest number of families in need but we hope to be able to set a similar scheme up in the North Cotswolds where access to support services of all sorts is often difficult.

"Both schemes are dependent on the Big Lottery funding being agreed but we hope that CDC's confidence in Home-Start and its financial support of it will mean that local people will soon have access to this invaluable service."